


Empty minds and aching hearts

by EWM



Series: Febuwhump (First one ever!!) [12]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016) Whump, Blood and broken bones, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Guilt, Hiding an injury, Hurt Angus Macgyver (Macgyver 2016), Mac barely holding it together, Mac being tormented, Mac feeling guilty and ashamed, Matty Webber being put in an awful position, Whump, so much whump, whump and angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWM/pseuds/EWM
Summary: This is a third part of my Pistols and Red Pools storyFirst and foremost, thank you so much for the epic responses to the first two sections, truly you guys are so kind!!!This is a dark bit and sad (because obviously the rest of this story has been so happy)Matty meets with Mac and tries to understand what has happenedThe prompt was hiding an injury
Relationships: Angus MacGyver & Matilda "Matty" Webber (MacGyver TV 2016), Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Febuwhump (First one ever!!) [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150052
Comments: 21
Kudos: 32
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	Empty minds and aching hearts

By the time Matty actually arrived to speak to Mac, sometime the following morning, there was no trace of what had happened in the early hours. He’d used the pillow they had given him to wipe the blood away as best he could and washed his hands and his face with the water he was supposed to drink. The cut across his lip remained and there was a new black eye, but there was nothing he could do about that. He was also fairly certain a new set of ribs had been broken and although he couldn’t see it, he thought he had a bruise across his back (possibly several). One of his legs was blood soaked, it had initially gone red but now had become a kind of sludgy dark brown. But he had found if he wrapped the blanket from the cot around himself tightly no one could actually see it. It had the added benefit of covering the track marks which he didn’t like looking at. When one of the nurses had come, in the morning she was so frightened of him just sitting in the corner she almost ran out of the room leaving the breakfast things behind.

A different nurse returned not long after to yank the remains of the food out of his hands (while he was still eating it). It had been a new experience for Mac invoking such fear in someone he barely knew. He looked up from the sandwich that had been left and waited. Mac wasn’t aggressive or angry, at this point he was so tired he could barely keep his head up. But the nurse didn’t see any of that, all he saw was Mac’s shadowed eyes and the damage across his face and the slight shake in his hands. The guy hadn’t even been at the shooting the previous day, but he’d heard about it. In the following 14 hours, reality had been transformed into a bizarre twisted narrative. Mac was a drug filled monster, a murderer in the making…he’d shot one of the foundations best agents, he'd shot his best friend, what had happened? Didn't MacGyver hate guns? What drove him to it?? What a fall from grace...etc….etc….the rumour mill had gone into overdrive (not helped by the fact that a dozen people had actually seen Mac shoot Dalton point blank)

“Man…I don’t want any trouble. Just give me the breakfast stuff” the nurse opened with

“I…Please don’t be frightened…I’m not trying to cause any problems.” Mac said swallowing a bite, he raised his arm in his most non-threatening stance, but of course the marks came out then and they nurses’ eyes bugged out a little.

“Look…just leave the stuff on the floor and kick it over here. Then I I won’t have to call the guards…”

Mac nodded registering the panic in his eyes and the reaction to the marks on his arms , the guy was clearly terrified of him. He dropped the sandwich on the tray on the floor and kicked it over to him with his non-wounded leg. He wrapped the blanket around himself tighter to show he was done. The nurse grabbed the half-eaten remains and banged on the door. Mac felt his stomach drop, he hated the idea that he was so scary to people. When the nurse finally managed to make his escape, Mac was once again left with his thoughts. He wondered how long it would be before the soldiers came to take him to this ‘containment facility’. Would Matty even bother coming to visit him? And of course Jack, was that why she hadn’t seen him? Because Jack had had…Mac couldn’t even quite bring himself to think it, let alone say it aloud. He knew whatever his fate was, he’d simply have to wait.

Webber meanwhile had dealt with perhaps the worst 14 hours of her life (maybe not quite the worst, but absolutely top 5). She’d made sure Jack was taken care of, he was currently in the medical bay fighting for his life, the bullet had been two centimetres away from his heart and shattered one of his ribs and there had been a whole host of other problems. Matty had called in every favour she had to find the best specialists in the U.S. to come to Jack’s aid, in between doing that she had to call up Bozer and Riley and tell them what happened. Even now she couldn’t say what was worse; Bozer’s stunned silence or Riley’s weeping down the phone. The two of them now sat by Jack’s bedside in between the many extensive surgeries he was going to have to have. Then there was the scene itself, it all had all been taped off and every bit of evidence gathered, blood samples, anything they could find to explain what had happened and what had possessed MacGyver to commit attempted murder and of course all while trying to find Murdoc.

She hadn’t slept at all, but of course she had to see Mac. Matty had done her best to make sure he was taken care of and not immediately carted off to a super max prison (what might have been the more standard protocol when an agent got shot) and she had tried to keep the local PD and the press away as well. But none of it had been good enough, if Jack didn’t survive, she knew she wouldn’t be able to protect Mac. Part of her worried whether she even should. But Webber was a master at compartmentalisation, she pushed all the poison and tangled up concern away as she walked to the door of the room where they had been keeping him. She put her hand on the handle and opened it, followed by two guards. If she’d had her way, she would left have them outside. But protocol was key if she was to find out what happened and if Mac was to survive.

Mac was a horrible sight; his face was a mess. There were a whole set of injuries that looked new to her, one of the soldiers had clearly decided to meter out some punishment for what happened to Dalton, something to be dealt with later. He looked so small too, Mac had always been skinny, but his hollow face and being tightly bound up in a ball made him look minute. He started slightly when he registered her come in. He tried to get up but groaned as he tried to move.

“Matty I II…can you?”

Jack’s fate was the first question on Mac’s lips, but the guards that flanked Webber also made him stutter and stop mid-sentence (one of them was his night-time visitor). Matty came and stood next to him. He stared at the floor now perched cross legged on the bed. Matty was torn seeing Mac, she wanted to hug him and tell him they’d fix this, but also shake him and demand an explanation. She also worried what would happen if she showed him any favouritism. She opted for being as straight talking possible

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“Matty, I’ve been wracking my brain…”

“It’s Director Webber to you.” One of the soldiers snapped at him

“It’s fine…Matty is fine. Go on.”

“No…no…he’s right.” Mac swallowed and Matty’s aching heart sank

“Director Webber. I’ve been trying to remember exactly what happened over the past few days and I can’t.”

“Come on there must be something, you’ve been gone a long time”

“How long is a ‘long time’?”

“Jack just slightly underplayed it. It’s considerably more than just a few days, you’ve been missing for six weeks. Jack was…he’s been going mad hunting for you.”

“I wish I could remember more. There’s certain things I can recall, but the rest there’s nothing.”

“What do you remember?”

“Being in a cave, I think, it’s damp, there are leaves everywhere. I can remember…I can remember Murdoc taking an open wire to my hand and I can hear him. But when I try and think of something more substantial, there’s nothing.”

“Keep trying, we need to work out find out what happened to you.”

“I know Ma…Director Webber.”

“Are we going to talk about the marks on your arms?”

“I don’t know what Murdoc dosed me with.”

Mac wrapped his arms around himself indicating that this part of the chat was over. Webber sighed and indicated that she wanted Mac to shift over on the bed. He obliged, she shimmied onto the bed and sat next to him. She pulled the blanket away from his arm which he shrank from trying to pull it back over

“Hey, hey…stop. Look at me.”

Mac was stubborn and refused, he was also at this point far too ashamed. Webber put her hand on his arm

“Fine. None of this..” Webber said gesturing to the marks on his arm “none of this, is who you are. This is some horrible concoction that Murdoc has dreamed up. I give you my word I’ll find out the truth… try to hear me. I promise I will find out what happened.”

Mac still didn’t look at her. Webber sighed decided that was enough for now. She could feel the soldiers eyeing her and had a few short sharp words for them. She got up and moved towards the door. He’d kept his tongue long enough, but her last comment made him speak

“Can you at least tell me what happened? Did he make it?”

Webber sighed waying the odds in her head.

“Agent Dalton did survive. But he’s in critical condition.”

“Can I see him?”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Matty…please. I…please. You can take me there in handcuffs flanked by soldiers, whatever protocols you want. But I need to see him. If…if Jack doesn’t make it. I…please I’m begging you.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t”

Webber could feel tears in her eyes. She had yet more work to do and weeping in front of MacGyver wouldn’t help.

“I’ll be back to speak to you soon.”

“Can I see Riley or Bozer at least?”

“That’s not necessary or appropriate currently.”

Mac let his head fall back against the wall and waited for Matty to leave. His leg was killing him and he couldn’t take any more of this conversation. Webber unknowingly obliged and departed. Once she was outside, she turned her exhaustion and her wrath to the two soldiers. Unfortunately for Mac, she didn’t quite shut the door.

“I’m not sure exactly where you two get off, interrupting me while I’m investigating a suspect.”

“Suspect? He’s a murderer or attempted murderer. Everyone saw him shoot Agent Dalton.”

“That’s not the point, when I work, I am in charge of my interrogations. I don’t need annoying little asides from men who know nothing about the situation.”

The soldiers looked at their feet, one of them murmured

“He still shot him. I saw it…that’s all I need to know.”

“What was that? Oh you saw it, did you? Wow that’s so interesting. Did you see anything helpful? Do you have any valuable information to tell me? Private, well do you?”

“No Director Webber”

“Good. I hope you’ve learnt your lesson. I want to know who exactly who visited Agent MacGyver last night? Who gave him the black eye?”

The soldiers said nothing

“You think that helps me? You think that helps anyone? Do you think beating a wounded boy who can barely recall his own name will help Agent Dalton? Do you? If Jack were here, he’d rip you a new one. He’d be furious for you for showing such contempt to someone so vulnerable.”

“He’s still scum…”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. The arrogance, the level of ignorance coming out of your mouth. It baffles me you act like somehow your experience gives you the right to pass judgement…you’re a…”

“I saw it…I know what I”

“I saw it too, private, I saw it up close and personal. I saw one of my best agents shoot his oldest friend. I saw someone I know, someone I trust take a gun and fire it into Jake Dalton’s heart. I saw the blood splatter, I saw all of it and I unlike you have the responsibility of finding exactly what happened and cleaning this mess up. Now get the hell out of my sight.”

The private was about to respond when his friend dragged him away. At that point Webber saw the door had been open. She didn’t know how much Mac might have heard and she didn’t quite have the energy or time to explain it. Instead she shut the door and locked it and headed to the Phoenix labs. Mac had heard most of it. He was not shocked by Webber’s rant, in one way he was relieved, at least he didn’t have to explain any of it to her. But the words rang in his head; he wasn’t sure what he hated more he 'was a suspect and an attempted murderer' or ‘the wounded boy who could barely remember his own name’ or the fact that he had become a ‘mess’ that Webber had to fix.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you guys reckon? 
> 
> I was trying to portray the fact that Webber is now in awful position, torn between her love for Mac and Dalton and her responsibilities as head of the Phoenix and what might happen if Jack doesn't survive.


End file.
